Go west or stay home?

[scsfabrication]

Hi everyone, new to the form. I recently put a rig together to get me out of the shop and on the road and I'm thinking of bringing the rig to Alberta. Here in Ontario there seems to be no work at all. Is there anyone having success in the west and who should I be contacting out there to get work. Any info would be great.

[3faze]

Hi where in ontario are you located? Ya alberta is defentaly (spelling) a hot spot right now i hear that if you can weld they will tack on 200$ per day to the wage of an average shop labourer!!! However living out there is going to cost a fortune. I'd rather stay home but i supose you gotta follow the money,
Brandon

[Darmik]

talk to Frost Bite he is on this form

[jberger]

Hi everyone, new to the form. I recently put a rig together to get me out of the shop and on the road and I'm thinking of bringing the rig to Alberta. Here in Ontario there seems to be no work at all. Is there anyone having success in the west and who should I be contacting out there to get work. Any info would be great.

welcome
just a friendly heads up alberta is very very very slow for rigs right now just search some of the threads, i dont know why but is it . i was told by chrismas it was supose to pic up ,but i am still wait to see this. anyways i hope spring will be busy cause i know alot of us could use it.

welcome to the forum

[scsfabrication]

I am located in Cornwall

[cruizer]

Not sure what happened in Mcmurray, though we think that the rates got out of control, and they (Syncrude & Suncor) are trying to lower them to a sustainable amount, thus lots of layoffs

[Portable Welder]

Coal Smoke, We think theres gota be a ton of money out there because of your preety rig.
Who else can afford one. HaHa Ha. only the guys out west.

[pipeline Dan]

If it was me Id say stay the f*ck where you are, There is money to be made out here for sure but thats what is f*ck'en the whole thing up, guys brining there rigs to Alberta for work and taking a pay cut just to get the job mean
while the wage your get right now was that way cause we made them pay us
that before we would work, I dont care if you come out to better your selves
but you guys are taking jobs for less money Example of this is, my rate
for pipeline last year was 110-115, I'll be luckey if I see 85-100 this winter
the oil companies say we where charging to much last winter, So now they bring guys in from out east who will do it for less money, I am telling you right now, The reason why we wanted that rate cause it cost alot to live here, Down the road you'll see for yourself what I am talking about, You guys just see $$$$$ but there is a reason why we need that kind of money. One thing
I'd like to know is how do you come out here to work and not have a Alberta ticket or any kind of school behind you and get work Why would
do I have to go to school and you dont. If your welding out pipe do you have
a "B" ticket, If you dont why do I have to have one. I have no problem with you coming here to work, But dont f*ck it up for us that have paid our dos and made the rate for what it is today. Turn it the other way around, You guys from out east have lots of work and I come out to work and do it for cheaper and you sit at home Call me an SOB I give a rats a*s Im just trying to shed some light from a rig welders point of view from Alberta.
I am sure other guys feel this way as well

[Portable Welder]

Woops, I had a misspelling ( Pretty truck )
Cant say I blame you Dan, Iv'e never worked more than 180 miles out of my area and that was only for a day 99% of the time I'm within 80 miles or less.
I would hate to have to leave home for work and dont know how you guys doit.
I get pretty home sick just being away from the family for a weekend on a snowmobile trip, I cant imagine being gone for a month.
However if I'm ever faced with that situation I will do what I have to.
I like having my loyal customers in my area.
I was pleased to find out that one of my biggest customers is putting in a 13 million dollar conveyor system in there new terminal in the Detroit metro area
and instead of the out of towners coming in they decided to use our local union Iron Workers & Mill rights.
Even though I'm not union I'd rather see my union neighbors working than an out of towner.

[pipeline Dan]

I use to ride bareback horses(rodeo) and lived on the road for about 10 years, so I am use to it. I have a family now so Its real hard, It seems like if you go away for even 2 weeks my kids change so much. I'll most likely pack in
this hard core oilpatch welding in the next 3-5 years I hope. Im not saying these guy from out east cant move here and work, It just seems like we from Alberta are getting the shaft. I think what will happen is they will come here to work and drive the wage down then when they find out you have to make more money to live here then they will go back out east then we have to start all over again Example of this is Fort Mac, It use to be that the rate was 90-100 then in the last year it was droped down to 80-85 now I was talking to another welder on here that works up there and the rate they are getting is 78 Thats the kind of sh*t I am talking about, Nobody thought it was going to happen, well it has already started. Now you see if
we all stuck to our guns and wouldn't weld for less then 100 then we would all benefit from it and I wouldn't have a problem with them coming
but I know of a few contracts that I could of had but they droped their rates
below 80 and I cant have over head like I do and take a pay cut I might as well sell out and go into something else. These guy that come out to weld dont have as much over head cause they just put some truck together make
some cash and go back home.